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Monday, December 31, 2012

Interview with Shlomo Epshteyn

I met Shlomo
Epshteyn when we were both competing for the Niles West chess team. We got
along just fine, but were never close friends there. It was Shlomo’s senior
year, while I was a freshman. Shlomo graduated, and went on to study
engineering at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Urbana.

To say that I
had a hard go of it at Niles West would be a huge understatement. Those were
some of the darkest years of my life. It took my parents’ superhuman-like efforts
to help me graduate high school in four years. I attended one year of Oakton
Community College and decided to make Aliya to Israel the following year.

Shlomo and I
were reunited when I came back to Chicago following a six-year stint in the
Holy Land. Amongst other things, I now had a Bachelor’s Degree in English
Literature and spoke fluent Hebrew.I
was just beginning to get interested in religious Judaism, while besides having
gotten married, and having kids, Shlomo was deeply involved in Chicago’s Jewish
community.

Shlomo and I
immediately became best of friends. I’d often stay with him and his family for
Shabbat, and we spent a lot of time learning Torah together. Shlomo became a
significant influence in my life: more so than when he was beating me in chess
a decade back.

I returned to
Israel more than a year ago. In doing so, I felt I’d be a positive influence to
those in the Chicago community who’d always wanted to make this step. My joy knew no limits when I found out that my
close friend, and confidant, Shlomo Epshteyn was making Aliya half a year
later.

I recently had
an opportunity to spend Shabbat in Shlomo’s new hometown of Rechasim about
15-minutes drive from Haifa. After my trip to Rechasim, I was able to ask
Shlomo a few pertinent questions regarding the changes that have taken place
since he’s decided to come to Israel. The following is the contents of our
interview.

Me: How did you decide to make Aliya to Israel?

Shlomo: My wife, Esther and I lived and studied in Israel for three
years during the first few years of our marriage. When we returned to the U.S.,
we settled down in West Rogers Park, and lived comfortably the first three
years back. During our fourth year in America, we began feeling extremely
nostalgic towards Israel. It became clear to us that sooner or later, we’d move
back. It took another year for us to fill out all the paperwork, get all the
logistics done, etc.

Me: What led you to make this decision?

Shlomo: A Jew who lived in the Land of Israel for a period of time
knows that there’s “something in the air” here (and of course I’m not talking
about the physical air). There’s a special life energy here that’s conducive
for a Jewish life. America, though cushioned by comfort and materialism, is
missing that.

Me: How were you able to cope the first week in Rechasim?

Shlomo: Imagine running to catch a fast-moving train with lots of
heavy bags in your hands. You see it taking off, you run as fast as you can to
catch up to it. Somehow, you’re able to jump on at the last moment knowing all
along that you’ll need to find your seat, put away your things, and get settled
in. Now that you’ve made the train however, a comforting thought prevails over
you: you’ve made it! I’m on!

That’s how it felt after our arrival here. We knew that we had a
lot of toil ahead of us, but a
major part of the journey was now in the rear-view mirror.

Me: How has the transition to an Israeli lifestyle been for you and
your family?

Shlomo: We live in a city that barely has any immigrants so we’re
still experiencing quite a bit of a culture shock. The good side of it is that
the locals are very warm, and welcoming. They have a clear understanding that
while we’re all Jews here, we’re new to the community. We act differently,
dress differently, etc.

Me: What are your hopes for the future?

Shlomo: We’d like to continue growing in our love for our homeland
by visiting interesting places, and learning about the unique history of the
people who’ve lived there. We want to instill that love into our children.

Me: What’s your message to Jews still living in the Diaspora?

Shlomo: Visit Eretz Yisrael. See for yourselves the land of our
ancestors. Feel the unique energy inherent in Israel. Those who want to provide
their souls with that extra ingredient they’ve been missing will give serious
thought to returning home. Your actions will follow your thoughts.

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About Me

I was born in Moscow, Russia. We immigrated to the US when I was 7 and I made Aliya to Israel at the age of 19. I attended Tel-Aviv U. where I received a BA in English Lit. and General Studies. I'm fluent in: English, Russian and Hebrew. I run a site and work for an Israel Advocacy firm. I enjoy running social media pages, performing hip hop, reading, writing, playing chess, running, swimming and playing basketball. I'm a huge Chicago sports as well as Maccabi Tel-Aviv fan.